Dr. Sykes is the Director of the Center for Applied Second Language Studies and Co-Director of the Chinese Flagship Program at the University of Oregon. She holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Romance Languages. Dr. Sykes is a national leader in the use of digital technologies for language acquisition. Her research focuses on the use of digital technologies for language acquisition with a specific focus on interlanguage pragmatic development and intercultural competence. Dr. Sykes’ experience includes the design, implementation, and evaluation of online immersive spaces and the creation of place-based, augmented reality mobile games to engage language learners in a variety of non-institutional contexts. She has published various articles on CALL-related topics, including computer-mediated communication and gaming.